Maxwell eyes off shock red-ball return for World Test Championship series

ICC, Dec. 5 - Limited-overs specialist Glenn Maxwell has not given up hope of making a return to Test cricket and is eyeing off an away series on the sub-continent at the end of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle as his best opportunity to do so.

Maxwell has played just seven Tests for his country, with every one of those red-ball contests coming outside Australia and his most recent appearance more than six years ago.

In that time Maxwell played a major role in helping Australia claim their inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup title in Dubai in 2021 and then starred once again during the Aussies' recent successful ICC Men's Cricket World Cup campaign in India.

While Maxwell knows he is better suited to the limited-overs format of the game, the 35-year-old still feels he can make an impact at Test level and wants to continue to put his name forward for selection ahead of Australia's final series of the current World Test Championship cycle.

Australia are scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka at the start of 2025 to battle it out for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy in what looms as a crucial series in the run into the World Test Championship final later that year and Maxwell harbours aspirations to be involved.

“I'm quite understanding the circumstances of the current side. They're playing some really good cricket, they’re World Test champions," Maxwell said on Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday.

“There's not a lot of spots up for grabs as far as Tests at home, but I know that when it does come to a sub-continent tour I can be a real viable option to hopefully fill a role in that side.

“I don't think there's another sub-continent tour until early 2025. So, I'll keep trying to plug away and hopefully get an opportunity at that stage."

Maxwell is currently back home in Australia preparing himself for another domestic Big Bash League campaign, while many of his World Cup-winning teammates are gearing up for the start of a hectic Test summer that includes a three-match series against World Test Championship pacesetters Pakistan and two contests against the West Indies.

Much of the discussion heading into the summer has been surrounding whether experienced opener David Warner will retire from Test cricket after the home Test against Pakistan in Sydney as he suggested prior to Australia's successful World Test Championship final campaign earlier this year.

Former teammate Mitchell Johnson recently aired some grievances surrounding Warner by indicating the veteran opener should not be able to select his own retirement date. 

But Maxwell refused to get drawn into this discussion and instead opted to provide a glowing endorsement for his fellow World Cup winner.

“I'm not going to throw my name into some headlines about this,” Maxwell said.

“But Davey's been an absolute champion of Australian cricket for a long period of time and the selectors were pretty clear on what they thought of it (selecting him).

“I'm looking forward to seeing Davey in that first Test and him making a lot of runs this summer.”